Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin urged ASEAN parliamentarians to set aside their political differences and act in unity to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with Representative of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), he said as parliamentarians act as a link between the Government and the people, they have an important role to play.

"Parliamentarians have a duty to ensure that all measures that have been taken result in enhanced protection and support of the most vulnerable.

"It is also important for parliamentarians to raise awareness on COVID-19 at their respective constituencies by promoting the importance of good personal hygiene as well as in adapting (to) the new normal, such as wearing face masks and social distancing in public," he said.

The Interface session was held as part of the 36th ASEAN Summit held virtually today, hosted by ASEAN Chair of 2020, Vietnam.

The session with ASEAN Leaders was joined by AIPA representatives from 10 ASEAN Member States, in which Malaysia was represented by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof.

Muhyiddin, who led the Malaysian delegation to the 36th ASEAN Summit, joined the session from Putrajaya.

The Prime Minister said despite facing a difficult task of addressing the health and socioeconomic costs of COVID-19, ASEAN Member States have individually or collectively worked to contain the spread of the deadly virus by sharing timely information, technical expertise, best practices as well as risk reports and data analyses.

"ASEAN Member States have also joined hands in reducing the impact of the pandemic to the livelihood of our people. During this time of uncertainty, the public often turns to their elected representatives for leadership and support," he said.

Muhyiddin said he hoped ASEAN parliamentarians and AIPA would be able to play a more proactive role in engaging and communicating the importance of ASEAN and its dialogues to their respective constituencies to ensure they understand the positive impacts of working as a regional bloc.

"The ASEAN Way does work and the success of our 10 nations will determine greatly on our people. The burden is on our shoulders, but I believe with mutual trust and honesty, we can emerge as a strong force to be reckoned with in the post-pandemic era," he said.

Muhyiddin also urged the parliamentarians to become a rallying force in highlighting the very need to broaden the appeal of an 'ASEAN identity' from the ground up as 2020 has been chosen as the "Year of ASEAN Identity" to raise awareness of the public about the region's activities and development process.

"Yes, ASEAN has come a long way in making its identity more visible. However, our identity markers have largely been institutional and confined to bureaucratic circles - having an ASEAN flag, for instance - instead of seeping into the public, popular sphere," he added.

The Prime Minister told the parliamentarians that their constituencies must understand that ASEAN is doing its best to kickstart its regional economy through the potential establishments of 'Green Travel Bubbles' and intra-ASEAN tourism.

ASEAN comprises a population of over 650 million people with a combined nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of roughly US$3.3 trillion, with over US$3.4 trillion in global trade transiting through the region each year.

He said as a regional bloc, ASEAN's impact on the global economy and trade must not be ignored.

"As Malaysia has proposed earlier in April, we urgently need a Regional Economic Recovery Plan and this is what we pushed for in this morning's ASEAN Summit," he said.

AIPA, originally formed in 1977 as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation (AIPO), aims to encourage understanding, cooperation, and close relations among Member Parliaments as well as Observer Member Parliaments and other parliamentary organisations.

It also plays an instrumental role in familiarising the peoples of Southeast Asia with policies aimed at accelerating the realisation of an ASEAN Community in 2015.

The 36th ASEAN Summit was scheduled to take place in April in Vietnam's Da Nang, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

-- BERNAMA